New Zealand Books

This is a well-conceived and interesting book that provides the research to support Snouck Hurgronje's assertion (in "Mekka") that the Jawah -- pilgrims from the Malay world -- *were* forming a new archipelagic identity in the Middle East. Laffan counters Benedict Anderson's claim in "Imagined Communities" that the pre-national religious pilgrimages didn't set folks on new journeys but merely returned them to their old lives with elevated status. He charts the creation of a new identity that was politicized but not nationalist in the conventional sense.

Now if only I could afford to own the thing...

Overall I found Islands of the Dawn to be a good introduction to some of the mainstream (and lesser known) Alternative Spiritualities in New Zealand.

There is a great deal of information on Spiritualism, Theosophy and a whole chapter dedicated to The Golden Dawn. If you are interested in any of these three 'paths' - especially with respect to New Zealand - then as far as overviews go, you will not be disappointed. There is plenty more in this book though for people interested in reading about alternative spiritualities in New Zealand. Other groups and paths mentioned include Order of the Table Round, Builders of the Adytum, Anthroposophy, the Culdean Trust, Beeville, the OTO, and various Eastern Spiritualities.

The author has done a great job of presenting background information on various groups and philosophies to give context to the New Zealand branches. This makes the book a good starting point for New Zealander's who want to learn more about alternative religious and esoteric groups without any prior background knowledge.

Those interested in paganism, wicca or satanism are the only paths likely to be disappointed with this book as there is little written on them. Perhaps neo-pagan groups had hardly surfaced at this stage in time, and were harder to find. However, around the time of the authors travels in New Zealand and prior to the published date of the book there was the magazine "Magic Pentacle" being published listing various pagan groups, and at least 2 groups identifying themselves as Satanists were around (Order of the Left Hand Path, and Order of the Sword of Damocles). However some information on these groups may be available in a thesis written by a student at Victoria University who interviewed former members of the OLHP. I don't know if the thesis is publicly available however.

Australia's Jean Devanny was an author, political activist and women's liberationist. Biographer Carole Ferrier's Jean Devanny: Romantic Revolutionary is a detailed, engaging, and informative political and literary biography providing the reader with a complete account of her life, times, and accomplishments. Devanny arrived in Sydney, Australia in 1929 from New Zealand. Here first novel, "The Butcher Shop" having been banned in politically turbulent New Zealand at the time. In the 1930s she joined the Communist Party and rapidly gained fame as a redoubtable public speaker. She clashed periodically with the party line under Stalin, and her open marriage and rumored love affairs led to a great many complications for her personal and professional life. Interested in issues of race, gender and sexuality, as well as class, Devanny was decades ahead of her time in her thinking on these questions. An outstanding work, Jean Devanny: Romantic Revolutionary is an impressive and clearly recommended biography which draws upon primary sources, oral history material from people who knew Devanny, as well as unpublished archives and manuscripts.

WHO INVENTED THE MARINE JET? Controversy has raged for years over this question.A New Zealand sheep farmer, Bill Hamilton, has been said to be its inventor, but he himself never made such a claim. He said "I do not claim to have invented marine jet propulsion." was his response to a critic in 1962. The honour probably belongs to a gentleman named Archimedes. This book outlines the development from the 1950's thru to the 1200HP racing boats used today in the sport of JETSPRINT.

A must have.

The story of the Catalpa Rescue has been written about before. Over the years most books and articles on the famous rescue of the six Fenian military prisoners from Fremantle prison in Australia were pulp fiction style stories with the omissions and errors usually found in this genre. This includes the recent Peter Stevens' book "The Voyage of the Catalpa" and, the book Stevens got much of his information from, William Laubenstein's "Emerald Whaler," both of which ought to be called historical novels. Only one book until the Fennell-King publication, Sean O'Luing's out of print but excellent work, "Fremantle Mission," was actually written by an expert Fenian researcher. O'Luing drew heavily on the sources that Fennell-King have made available to us in their publication. The Fennells, who have spent many years researching the Catalpa rescue, have provided us a complete legible copy of the articles titled "The Story Of The Catalpa Rescue" from John Devoy's 1904 Irish-American nationalist newspaper, "The Gaelic American" along with significant excerpts from the minutes of a United Brotherhood (Clan na Gael) convention held in September 1877 in Cleveland (from the Catholic University of America archives) wherein a mutiny charge against Thomas Brennan, a Clan member who was part of the rescue team, was investigated.
John Devoy, editor of the Gaelic American, was the man who planned, raised the funds, and executed the mission. John Devoy had at his disposal his diary and his collection of Clan na Gael documents to refresh his memory as he writes. Many interesting episodes that are nowhere else in print come to light as Devoy describes his part in the planning and financing of the voyage. Heretofore only available on microfilm reels, the Fennells make these prime sources available to the ordinary reader. Devoy's articles include the report of the man chosen to lead the rescue mission, John Breslin. This report made to the Clan na Gael membership recounts his management of the actual rescue at Fremantle and John King's personal report of his part in the mission. King was an ex prisoner and Irish Revolutionary Brotherhood (IRB) man from Australia who boarded the Catalpa along with the rescued men for the voyage back to the United States. The footnotes given by the Fennells bring us up to date on the latest Catalpa Expedition research. As an Irish-American history researcher who has struggled through these micofilms, I find this book indispensable, as it will be for anyone interested in the Fenians, the Clan Na Gael or Irish American history.
Michael Ruddy, Union City, TN author of "Irish Army in America" (Civil War Times April 2003).

This book adds significantly to the understanding of Katherine Mansfield and her New Zealand stories. I enjoyed it very much.

Mansfield's work has never been out of print, but it's amazing to think that it's hard, at times, to find. Norton, obviously with an eye to the academic market, recently published this fine anthology. Vincent O'Sullivan has chosen carefully, and his footnotes and other editorial material is simply top shelf. The critical material is well chosen--that alone would be worth the price of admission. If you've read some KM, this is a good source for expanding your background; if you're new to her work, you're in good hands. If you're an astute collector of her first editions, here's a copy that you can feel free to underline, highlight, and just enjoy.

If you're new to Katherine Mansfield, this is a good book to start with. Smith opens some doors for the novice or scholar. You might want to buy Vincent O'Sullivan's recent anthology published by Norton to use as your reading copy of KM's works. It's easy to find Antony Alper's excellent full length biography. It's essential reading too. If you are serious about your reading, Alpers also edited her works (Oxford U Press), and it's worth tracking down a copy -- not just for the logical arrangement of the text, but for his excellent notes.

As a New Zealander, Krystyna's Story reminded me of thedifficulties all immigrants face when moving to a new country. Thisbook is an astonishing recount of the horrific passage many Polish people were forced to make, either to Germany, or to the Soviet Union, during the 2nd World War. Told through the eyes of an eight year old, some accounts were downright hilarious, but most were direct, heartwrenching and unbelievably sobering. This book gave both my husband and I a renewed respect for all victims of war, and a far better understanding of the little known tragedies that all Polish people experienced during that time. I would highly recommend this book - do yourself a favour and reach out into the understanding of the minority.

This magnum opus is the definitive work on the law of torts in Australia for students, academics and practioners. The authors draw heavily from both common law and statutes to provide intelligent, critical and thought-provoking commentary.